Cilantro is a very popular kitchen herb that is very often used in Latin American cuisine as well as some Asiatic cuisine, especially in Thailand. It can add a lot of flavors to a great variety of dishes.

Grow From Seed

Growing your own Herb Garden is fun and often way cheaper than buying the same herbs at your local supermarket. Cilantro is very easy to grow from seeds and will provide a lot of leaves for your culinary needs. 

Light/Temperature

Cilantro loves a lot of sun, so be sure to find a good spot for it! The ideal is to place your pots on a windowsill. If you are planting outside, wait for temperature to be around 70°F. Soil temperature should be at least 50-55°F. In hot weather, cilantro will start flowering very fast. Try to limit this activity as much as possible if you want to focus your plant on developing more leaves.

Plant Your Seeds

Plant your seeds about ¼ inch deep and space them 1 to 2 inches apart so your Cilantro plants will have space to grow. If you are planting outside (not in a container), make sure to space the seeds 12 to 16 inches to allow plenty of space for the roots to settle down.

Note

Cilantro is actually 2 herbs in one. In the US the whole plant is called coriander, but the leaves are referred to as cilantro. There is another part of the plant though that also has a lot of flavors and it is the seeds, which are referred to as coriander seeds.

Water

Until sprouting, make sure the soil is always moist. It should not be swinging in water, but it should be wet enough. A well moist soil is essential for sprout germination. Check the soil every day and start watering as soon as you see the soil getting dryer.

 

Germination

Cilantro seeds will typically sprout in 14 to 21 days. Once the plant starts to grow you can limit watering to every other day. Just make sure the soil does not dry, and that your plant always gets plenty of sun light.

Harvesting

You will be able to start harvesting Cilantro within 2 to 3 months once plant is about 6 to 8 inches in height. Cut the leaves from the tips of the stems to encourage the plant to grow more leaves.

Did You Know?

If you have digestion troubles, or after a heavy meal, you can infuse some leaves of cilantro to help release pain.

Create Space

Once your plant reaches 3 to 4 inches in height, you will want to create more space for them. Start by thinning the weaker sprouts to make space for the stronger ones. Cut the stem at the soil level.

Flowering

When you see the top part of the main stem starting to develop flowers, cut if off immediately, it will help redirect the energy into developing more leaves instead of flowering. Be careful as this happens quickly in hot weather, and as soon as the plant starts to set seeds it will start degrading fast.

 

 

Tips

Do not try to dry your cilantro leaves as they will lose their flavors. If you want to reserve some leaves, prefer the freezing option which will keep the flavor intact.